Daniel Shand (Sandstone Press)
We meet Chloe, who is sent to live with her grandparents while her mother tries to get her life together. Through flashbacks, we learn of this parent/child dynamic, clouded in a mist of too many cigarettes and empty bottles. Effectively, it’s their separation that illustrates their dysfunctional life together. As Chloe begins to make friends and get comfortable with the world of mischief that she’s never known before, her new life and her yearning to return to her old life start to jumble. I didn’t think I liked the narrator’s purposefully child-like voice when I started, but the more I read the more I respected – and more importantly, enjoyed – how the writing style mirrored the sometimes illogical, unreliable nature of thought, exploring the coping mechanisms used by children grappling with the loss of childhood. (MT)
Price: £8.99. Info: www.sandstonepress.com